The Inspiration for Healing Hearts in the Little Village by Ella Cook

This week I have the pleasure of hosting Ella Cook, who also writes for Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books. Ella’s latest novel Healing Hearts in the Little Village was published on 25 July 2023 and I asked Ella to tell readers about the inspiration for the book …

Hey Morton, thanks so much for inviting me back to chat. I can’t believe it’s been 18 months since we last caught up!

Book Inspiration

So, it’s that question every author loves – and probably dreads a little bit: why did I write my latest book? What was it that inspired Healing Hearts?

Well, we’ll have to go back a little bit for that one, because this isn’t the first visit to my little made-up village of Broclington – although you don’t need to have read the first book to understand this one. The first book was called Summer’s Christmas, and quite simply I started writing that one because I love the magic of Christmas, and really wanted to see if that magic could last outside of the usual December season. So, I created a story, and a place, where it could.

Healing Hearts was a chance to go back to that little village that I loved creating so much, and to visit the characters there too, and check in and see how they’re doing – which was apparently a popular decision with some reviewers who are already asking for more! (Don’t worry, I’ve already started another, and have plans for at least a couple more after that! And yes, there will be sparkles, maybe a bit of magic, and definitely some four-legged (and maybe winged) friends in the future.

Oops, I’ve gone off on a bit of a teasing tangent there, haven’t I? Sorry! Back to the question: Why did I write Healing Hearts? Well, this story is very much one about hope and healing – about moving on from situations, and sometimes people, that weren’t good for our characters.

It’s an unfortunate truth that in this life bad things often happen to good people – so many of us have been in situations that just haven’t worked out the way we planned, and so many of us have been hurt and left feeling battered and scarred. Sometimes those scars are ones we can see: physical manifestations of pain – like Liv’s. Other times the scars people carry are emotional, and instead of moving more carefully to protect a broken wrist, they hold back from relationships to protect a battered heart like Callum does. So, what I wanted to do with Healing Hearts was write a story that could explore that journey of healing, of learning to trust again, and learning how to give yourself – and others – second chances.

And, because it’s me – there had to be some romance, love and a little sparkle of magic too. So obviously there’s at least one fairy.

But Healing Hearts isn’t just about Liv, and Callum – or even the families around them. It’s also about the community that makes up the village of Broclington. Like so many villages in the UK, unfortunately money from the local authority is being stretched, and some of the services are at risk of being lost. But this being Broclington, and the Macpearson family… well, there’s probably a plan up someone’s sleeve. And because it is me – and because I believe in love and hope above all else – there’s probably going to be a happy ending.

About Ella Cook

Ella’s been obsessed with books since the moment she could reach to pull them off the shelf by herself, and has wanted to write for as long as she can remember.

She grew up in London where fairies lived at the bottom of her Grandma’s garden, and she still looks for magic – and often finds it – in everyday life.

She won the SWWJ Floella Benjamin Award in 2019, and published her debut, BEYOND GREY with Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction in 2021. Her books are now published by Joffe Books, who won the IPG Trade Publisher of the Year in 2023. She doesn’t plan to stop writing any time soon.

When she emerges from her fictional worlds, she writes bids for children’s services and lives in Warwickshire (where there are probably more fairies) with her ever-loving husband who reads all her stories first and makes gallons of tea in magical cups that keep drinks warm for whole chapters.

You can find links to keep in touch with Ella on the following link https://linktr.ee/ellacookwrites

About Healing Hearts in the Little Village

One broken-hearted city doctor. A countryside surgery in need of a new GP. The perfect love story bound to get your pulse racing . . .

Dr Liv Emery is at her wits end. Her perfect life was within her grasp. Instead, she’s dealing with the fallout of being dumped by her long-term boyfriend in the cruellest way possible.

Then on top of everything else, a patient goes berserk on her. It’s the final straw, and there’s only one thing for it . . . A new start.

So she jumps at the chance to cover her former professor’s GP surgery in the Cotswolds and waves goodbye to the city. And good-for-nothing men.

Life in the village of Broclington is a far cry from London — and her cottage is a welcome change from her old shoebox flat. But her relief is short-lived after meeting her prickly boss Callum.

But perhaps he has his reasons . . . It’s not easy juggling being a single parent to a fairy-obsessed six-year-old while staving off bosses breathing down his neck about funding cuts.

The more Liv gets to know Callum and his daughter, the more she realizes she may be able to help them — and the village practice — more than she could have imagined.

But will her time in Broclington be the healing experience she so desperately needs, or could she end up heartbroken once again?

Fans of Beth Moran, Alison Sherlock, Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain, Marie Laval or Lisa Hobman will fall head over heels for this cozy romance full of heart.

READERS ADORE ELLA COOK’S FEEL-GOOD ROMANCE:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A lovely feel-good book.’ Rosamond C.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Brilliant characters and a great insight into village life.’ Gill K.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A sweet story.’ Evangelia M.

Buying Links

Healing Hearts in the Little Village (Broclington Book 2 – don’t worry, it reads well as a standalone novel, although obviously I’d recommend starting with Summer!) Buy here

Summer’s Christmas (Broclington Book 1 – in case you missed it) Buy here

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Morton S. Gray news – all of my six Borteen Novels are now available on Kindle Unlimited! Details here